Nick's Remorse
by sumerjoy11
Summary: What if Nick hadn't replaced the Night Howler with blueberries? What if he had gotten shot with Night Howler? A short take on what I think would've happened. Enjoy.
_Nick, don't do this..._

 _Fight it!_

 _NICK!_

Nick Wilde groaned as his head slowly turned from side to side, glancing at his surroundings. He was in...the hospital? But why? He wasn't the injured one. Judy was.

It was all a blur. He remembered trying to help Judy escape from Bellwether in the museum after she cut her leg. Then, he remembered being knocked down into a pit. After that, nothing. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what went on after that. Now he was here, and Judy...

Speaking of which, where was that bunny? Perhaps she was in her own room, and her leg was being tended to. Good. If that were the case, then he should be happy. It was a pretty deep cut, so the sooner she was able to get it tended to, the better.

Just then, a gentle knock was heard on the door. Nick slowly rose, hoping it would be the rabbit he had come to care so much for. The hopeful smile on his face fell when he realized that it wasn't her, but it was another prey. It was Mrs. Otterton.

The female otter gazed up at Nick as she slowly approached the bedside. She ignored his confused expression as she climbed up a step stool and sat beside him, laying a paw on his arm. "I'm glad to see you're better, Nicholas."

"Uh, yeah. Though, I don't remember being sick," Nick replied with a slight chuckle. He cringed at the intense stare she was giving him. It was like she was trying to stare into his soul. It was creepy.

"I just...I just wanted to thank you for helping find my Emmitt. Without you, he would still be..." She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing away any thoughts of the state her husband was once in. The memories were too painful for her to bear.

Nick smiled softly, gently laying one of his larger paws on top of hers. "What matters is that he's fine now. Your kids got their daddy back. But I can't take all the credit. I couldn't have done this without Carrots. She's the _true_ hero." The fox glanced at the door. "Speaking of Carrots, have you checked up on her? Is she okay?"

Mrs. Otterton gulped. Her eyes moistened as she gave him another intense stare. The otter's mouth opened, but quickly closed. She couldn't find the words she wanted to say. Before she could speak, another animal entered the room.

"Mr. Wilde."

"C-Chief Bogo?" Nick tilted his head. Why would _he_ of all animals be here to see _him_?

"Mrs. Otterton, I would like to speak to Mr. Wilde alone, if you please."

"O-Oh yes!" The otter smiled sheepishly as she quickly climbed down the step stool. Before she could exit out the door, Mrs. Otterton turned to Nick. Her smile sank into a frown. She squeezed her eyes shut as she turned, then exited. As she left, Nick couldn't help thinking she muttered something.

Once the otter was gone, Chief Bogo gently closed the door. The cape buffalo took a seat at the end of Nick's bed, and released a heavy sigh. "First order of business. When we arrived at the scene after Miss Bellwether contacted us, one of my fellow officers discovered the gun full of Night Howler, and we were able to make an arrest. Miss Bellwether is now behind bars, and thanks to you, we were able to find an antidote for those such as yourself who were infected by the plant."

"Infected?" Nick's eyes widened upon realization. "I-I was shot?"

Chief Bogo sighed, hanging his head. "Yes, but there is unfortunately more to this. When you were shot, you..." The Chief gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Just like with Mrs. Otterton, he couldn't find the words to say.

"J-Just spit it out, Chief," Nick said nervously. He was mentally bracing himself for what was about to be said.

"...You attacked Miss Hopps."

He was not prepared for that. "A-Attacked?" Nick laughed. "I-I couldn't hurt her. She's my friend. I..."

"Did you not just hear me, man?!" Bogo shouted, causing the fox to jump back in shock. "You _attacked_ her, Nick! Your savage instincts took over! I need not go into detail, and I really don't care to! What happens when a fox is alone with a rabbit?! Put the pieces together, Nick!"

Nick's shoulders slumped, and he fell back against his pillow. His eyes grew wide with horror. He slowly rose his paws, staring down at them as if they were soaked in blood. The fox's body began to shiver.

"N-No..."

The fox was about to leap out of bed, but he wasn't quick enough for the Chief. He grunted as he was pinned down, struggling against the cape buffalo's hold. "I-I need to see her! Please, she's my friend!" His forest green eyes welled with tears. "She's the only one who's believed in me!"

"Pull yourself together, man!" Chief Bogo shouted, shaking the fox with hopes of shaking away his insanity.

"It can't be true!" Nick gritted his teeth, holding back his tears. Since childhood, Nick always held back his tears. He couldn't let anyone see that they were getting to him. He couldn't let the Chief see that this was getting to him. He couldn't be weak. He had to be strong. "It just can't be true," he whispered.

"Well, I'm afraid it is," Bogo said softly as he reluctantly released the fox. "Nick, I am not holding you accountable for this. You were not in your right mind. It was the Night Howler that caused this." He sighed shakily. "Judy was a great cop. One of the best I'd seen. It was...wrong of me to judge her so quickly. She had such a bright future ahead of her."

Chief Bogo rose from the bed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry things had to turn out like this, Nick. But at least we can prevent anymore accidents like this from occurring in the future. You may have taken a life, but you saved countless others'." He took a step away from the bed, reaching back for the door knob. "I'll leave you to grieve. We'll discuss this at a later time."

Nick breathed heavily, his body quivering more as the Chief stepped out. He gripped the fur on his head. "She can't be gone..." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Wake up, Nick." The fox slapped himself across the face. "Wake up!" No matter how many times he struck himself, Nick couldn't escape from this nightmare. It was all too real.

His worst fear had come true. He murdered a prey, and lived up to his status as a bloodthirsty predator who deserved to be muzzled. Worst of all, this prey meant the world to him. Judy Hopps wasn't just any prey, though. They had known each other for a short amount of time, yet they had a strong bond. Judy was the first prey to ever believe in him. She was the first to reach her paw out to him, and pull him out of the darkness. Now that she was gone, there was no light in Nick's life. His light had gone out, all because of him.

Nick Wilde murdered Judy Hopps, and it was all his fault.

 **I appreciate all of the reviews I've been getting for this story. Thank you all so much for the critiques, and the compliments! I added this to tell you all that I will NOT be continuing this. This was just an idea I had that I felt the need to write out. I did fix a few things, but for now, I'm leaving this as is. Some people have told me to add what may have happened at the museum after the attack, and others have told me to continue on to tell about how Nick handles this. While I do appreciate you all wanting to see more from me, I'd rather you all imagine what happens. I know it sounds like a cheap cop out from having to write more, but the imagination is a wonderful thing that's barely used anymore. After all, "The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau**


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